1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a system with a rotary valve and with an actuating device for the rotary valve. The invention relates, furthermore, to an associated throughflow system with a rotary valve. The invention relates, moreover, to a use of the claimed devices. The throughflow system is, in particular, a microthroughflow system. The transport of a liquid can be controlled by means of a throughflow system.
2. Description of Related Art
A microthroughflow system is a device with ducts, the diameter of which is smaller than 1 mm. In particular, the duct diameters have a maximum size of 150 μm. Such a microthroughflow system is usually produced, using semiconductor techniques. It is therefore also known to select semiconductors as the material for manufacturing ducts. However, other materials, such as polymers or glass, may also be employed. A microthroughflow system in the context of the present invention then comprises ducts and components which are integrated into a substrate, that is to say into a baseplate. Such a microthroughflow system may be gathered from the publication U.S. Pat. No. 7,144,616 B1.
In the pharmaceutical industry, several hundred thousand different substances are tested every day for their suitability as starting materials for novel medications. The consequence of such requirements is that there is a need for microthroughflow systems, by means of which very small liquid quantities can be handled accurately. Microthroughflow systems are also employed in industrial process engineering, in order to mix very small liquid quantities with one another quickly and uniformly. Microsystems are used in the biochemical sector for analyzing biological samples.
Microthroughflow systems have a very small and increasingly smaller build. The components used have to be correspondingly small. There is therefore a constant need for further miniaturization of the components used. Since such microthroughflow systems can regularly be employed once only, for example for carrying out an analysis, they have to be as cost-effective as possible.
A valve for opening and closing a duct is known from the publication JP 2006183818 A or from the publication US 6,981,518 B2. According to publication US 6,981,518 B2, a valve element is moved linearly with the aid of a lever in order to open or close a duct. Various components for microthroughflow systems are described in the publication “Chunsun Zhang et al., Micropumps. Microvalves, and micromixers within PCR microfluid chips: Advances and trends, Biotechnology Advances 25 (2007) 483-514, Elsevier”. This publication discloses a component which serves for opening and closing a duct of a microthroughflow system. The component comprises a guide and a valve element guided in the guide. The duct connected to the guide is opened or closed by means of a linear movement. An overview of previously known valves for microfluidic throughflow systems is additionally found in J. Micromech. Microeng. 16 (2006) R13-R39, A review of microvalves, Kwang W Oh et al.. A device can be gathered from the publication WO 2004/105829 A2 which comprises a plurality of rotary valves in order thereby to connect various supply and discharge lines to one another. WO 2007/130951 A2discloses a valve having a rotatable valve element which is located in a guide. The valve element is provided with passages and serves for the connection of duct segments which issue into the guide. Various switching states are possible.
SUMMARY
The object of the invention is to provide a system with a cost-effective rotary valve and with an actuating device for the rotary valve. An object of the invention is, furthermore, to provide an associated throughflow system having a rotary valve.